Women acquitted after Giants brouhaha

Two women accused of injuring a 60-year-old woman during a San Francisco Giants game last spring were acquitted after witnesses accounts conflicted over exactly what occurred, the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office announced.

San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi said 19-year-old Briana Chamorro of San Francisco and her friend, 19-year-old Amber Hanna of San Bruno, were acquitted of battery charges Thursday after the jury found the victim’s 26-year-old daughter’s testimony not credible.

Deputy Public Defender Edward Mario, Chamorro’s defense attorney, said in a press release that there were five different versions of the story from six witnesses.

Two independent witnesses were also called, but neither saw Chamorro or Hanna push the victim over a row of seats as prosecutors alleged.

Mario said the dispute began when one of Chamorro’s friends lit a marijuana cigarette during the April 27 game between the Giants and the San Diego Padres. The daughter, who was sitting next to the women, complained about the smell and asked the woman to put out the cigarette, which she complied.

The daughter and her mother, however, were still bothered by the smell and decided to leave.

Mario said that although empty seats separated the mother and daughter from the aisle to their right, they walked to the left, where the daughter aggressively insisted that Hanna move:

“She could have easily avoided these young women. Instead, she started a fight.”

Irritated, the daughter attempted to aggressively push past Chamorro, Hanna and their friends. When Chamorro tried to resist, the daughter pushed her in the face.

Mario said Chamorro threw her arms out to protect herself, and although Hanna tried to separate her and the daughter:

“… it was a lot of flailing and the 60-year-old mother fell into the row behind them.”

The mother was taken by ambulance to a hospital and treated for a bruised leg and hip.

Adachi acknowledged the jury’s decision, stating that Chamorro was simply trying to enjoy the game with her friends and did nothing wrong except protect herself.